In a substrate processing equipment, a substrate is conveyed in physical contact with a conveyer system. At this time, when foreign matters are adhered to the substrate or the conveyer system, subsequent substrates are successively contaminated. Accordingly, it is necessary to periodically stop the equipment to cleanse. As a result, there are problems in that the operation rate is lowered and much labor becomes necessary.
In order to overcome these problems, there have been proposed a method according to which method a substrate to which an adhesive matter is fastened is conveyed in a substrate processing equipment to remove foreign matters adhered to the inside of the substrate processing equipment (patent document 1) and a method according to which a planar member is conveyed into a substrate processing equipment to remove foreign matters adhered to a back surface of the substrate (patent document 2).
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-10-154686 (pages 2 to 4)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-11-87458 (pages 2 to 3)